Many comic book fans believe there is a feisty rivalry between Marvel and DC, whether it comes to the comics or television series, and especially the films. Recently, however, Marvel Studios president #KevinFeige clarified there's no real conflict between the two companies. While Feige and the rest of the faces of the company might get along, over the weekend we seemed to have gotten confirmation that there are at least some lines drawn between the two studios.

Speaking at the Supanova Comic Con & Gaming convention in Australia over the weekend, Thor actor #ChrisHemsworth made a very intriguing comment when he stated that it was "illegal" for actors who have a contract with Marvel Studios to appear in a DC Comics movie with Warner Bros. It's worth noting the source was a Twitter user by the name of Tyler James who was in attendance, so we can't read into this too closely.

First of all, there's a very solid chance that Chris Hemsworth was being totally sarcastic and playing off the joke that Marvel and #DC have a huge rivalry when in reality the two companies contribute to boosting each other's sales. He also might have been using the word 'illegal' in an exaggerated way. However, it's common sense that #Marvel wouldn't want one of its stars to go appear in a DCmovie.

Not All Actor-Studio Crossovers Are Created Equal

'Guardians of the Galaxy' (2014) [Credit: Marvel Studios]

The reason why the potential limit on Marvel actors appearing in DC movies and vice-versa is so intriguing is because there have already been some crossovers between actors. The most notable example of this is with actor #JoshBrolin, who plays the Mad Titan, Thanos, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Recently, Brolin was cast as Cable for Deadpool 2, X-Force and most likely some other Marvel/Fox superhero films.

This casting was fascinating because Avengers: Infinity War and Deadpool 2 release a mere month apart, so many fans were concerned that it might become an issue when it comes to filming and reshoots. But Brolin doing double duty for Marvel and Fox is different than a Marvel actor going to DC for three reasons:

1. Fox is producing movies based on Marvel characters so there's more leeway when it comes to back and forth between the studios

2. As Thanos, Brolin isn't a "face" character. It's all CGI and prosthetics, so you're never seeing his real face when he's in the MCU

3. Brolin is a villain of the MCU and, to this point, hasn't been pictured much in the movies. It's entirely different to have one of Marvel's heroes whose had hours of face time appear in a DC movie. Harder to suspend disbelief there.

[Credit: Marvel Studios/ Warner Bros]

When it comes down to Marvel Studios and Warner Bros specifically, there are still a few minor conflicts. For instance, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje played both the Dark Elf, Algrim/Kurse in Thor: The Dark World and three years later, he played Killer Croc in Suicide Squad. Obviously, Akinnoye-Agbaje played a very minor role in the second Thor movie and Killer Croc is a much larger character, but, again, one under heavy prosthetics. Also, Kurse is currently deceased in the #MCU, making it much less likely there will be a conflict of interest.

What we can take from Hemsworth's comment is that any of Marvel Studios' major players, i.e. the ones with recurring roles and plenty of face time, are prohibited from appearing in any DCEU films—which, honestly, just makes sense for both studios. There are plenty of actors out there; why bother killing a little bit of the magic by having an actor or actress so closely associated with one character appear as another one in a separate universe? Of course Marvel Studios doesn't want its actors running away and starring in DC films, and I wouldn't be surprised if DC has a similar clause in place for its own actors. Contracts can get very complicated, but this is a fairly reasonable request for studios to make of its actors. It may not be a rivalry, but it is a business.

Do you think that's a fair request for Marvel Studios to make in its contracts? Discuss below!